Daryl Campbell will be Interim President of Shoreline Community College as of July 1, 2013.

With a 5-0 vote, the Board of Trustees said at June 13, 2013 special meeting that Campbell has the knowledge and experience they are looking for to take the college through period of searching for a permanent president.

“In my three years working with you, I’ve been very pleased with your precision and ability to treat people with respect,” said Phil Barrett, the current board chair. “You’ve got good communication skills and develop trust with those you work with; that’s something you’ve done every day.”

Incoming board chair Shoubee Liaw said, “If there is anyone who can move this campus forward, it is Daryl Campbell.”

For his part, Campbell said he is ready for the job.

“I’ve been here five years … and have fallen in love with the place,” Campbell said. “We have the vision, we have the motivation and we have the strength. As long as we stand together, we also have the answer to any problem or challenge we may face.”

Campbell is filling the position because the previous president, Lee Lambert, left for the chancellor job at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. Campbell was named by Lambert to be acting president through June 30 and will now become interim president on July 1.

In May, the trustees had asked for public input on the qualities and qualifications that might be needed for an interim president. Prior to Thursday’s vote and an executive session, the trustees characterized the substance of the 89 comments that were received either by e-mail or letter.

“I’m very pleased that the community responded and gave us a tremendous amount of input,” Barrett said. “They ranged from terse to expansive, but for the most part were thoughtful and focused.”

In an e-mail to all employees and students, the trustees had suggested questions that might be answered in the feedback messages. One was whether a business administrator or an academic was preferred and another was whether an internal or external candidate should be the pick.

“Many people said we need someone understands both the academic side and the business side,” Barrett said, adding that “if I had to count,” it was 16-7, business over academic. “And it was 3-1, internal over external.”

By far, Barrett said, the number one trait identified in the comments was a “good communications skills.” One of the comments received, Barrett said, described having Campbell come to the person’s classroom as: “That’s the first time I’d seen an administrator in the classroom.”

Barrett and Liaw will serve as the negotiating team to work with Campbell on negotiating a contract for the interim duties. In addition, Campbell is working on a transition plan for his soon-to-be former duties as vice president for administrative duties. Both the contract and transition plan are expected to be completed prior to July 1.

The board also made some headway on the search process for a permanent president. Director of Financial Services Stuart Trippel presented information about the request for proposal for an executive search firm. While a final decision has not been made on whether to use such a service, the trustees did see a potential timeline that could push the start to a search back to Oct. 1, 2013. A decision on using a search firm could come at the board’s June 26 meeting.

One decision that was made regarding the permanent position is that the interim president will not be a candidate. The discussion included a comment by Assistant Attorney General Alan Smith that regardless of the decision, the board could always change its collective mind. A motion to exclude the interim made by Barrett passed on a 5-0 vote.